University of New Hampshire

DURHAM, NH The University of New Hampshire men's hockey program has a name Jim Tortorella as the new director of hockey operations. Tortorella returns to UNH, where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons (1993-95) and associate head coach for three seasons (2011-14).

Tortorella spent the last six seasons (2018-24) as an assistant coach at Harvard, as the Crimson made three NCAA Tournament appearances (2019, 2022, 2023). He oversaw defense, penalty killing and recruiting. Tortorella guided defenseman Adam Fox to a standout 2018-19 season, where he was a Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist and finished second in the nation in points per game with 3.52. Four Crimson defensemen earned All-America honors during Tortorella's time at Harvard.

In 2017-18, Tortorella was the head coach at Saint Anselm, leading the Hawks to a 17-9-1 record and winning the Northeast 10 championship. The year before, he was a volunteer assistant at Providence College when the Friars advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Tortorella was associate head coach at UNH from 2011-14, where he developed and coached current NHL players Trevor van Riemsdyk and Brett Pesce. In 2013, the Wildcats reached the NCAA Regional Final. Tortorella also organized and coached the defense and penalty kill for the Wildcats, who led the Hockey East and were ranked second in the nation in 2013, assisted with all aspects of recruiting, and developed, implemented and managed all video technology and analytics systems.

Tortorella spent 16 seasons as the head coach at Colby College, where he is the program's all-time winningest coach with a record of 230-138-33 (.617). At Colby, he coached 78 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Academic picks, 20 NESCAC All-Stars and 16 All-Americans while leading the Mules to the league's Final Four 10 times.

Colby was consistently ranked in the top 15 nationally under Tortorella and won the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship in 1997 for the first time in 30 years. He was named NESCAC Coach of the Year twice (2005-06, 2007-08) and was also named New England Sports Writers Coach of the Year in 2007-08, as well as being a finalist for National Division III Coach of the Year three times (1995-96, 2005-06, 2007-08).

During his first stint at UNH as an assistant coach (1993-95), the 'Cats qualified for the NCAA Tournament in both seasons and reached the regional final in 1994.

Tortorella also served at USA Hockey as Director of New England Select Teams Player Development (1997-2003, 2008-15) and coached the USA World Junior Team twice (1999, 2000). He has also been heavily involved with the American Hockey Coaches Association, including serving as the association's president (2002-03). Tortorella currently holds a master's degree from USA Hockey, the organization's highest level of coaching education.

Tortorella, a former star goalie at the University of Maine, began his coaching career at Brunswick High School (1984-87) before moving on to Cony High School, where he was named State of Maine Coach of the Year twice in five seasons.

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Convenient and affordable season ticket subscriptions are now on sale for the 2024-25 UNH men’s hockey season. Starting at just $204.00, fans can save up to 30% off individual game ticket prices and enjoy additional benefits including access to exclusive events, early access to games, Skybox Lounge access (subject to capacity restrictions), the Amnesty Ticket Exchange program, and game day discounts.

Discounted tickets are also available for groups of 20 or more. Group tickets include access to experiences such as Zamboni Rides, High Five Tunnels, Postgame Group Photos, Intermission skates and the opportunity to play the National Anthem.

Go to UNHWildcats.com/Tickets or call the box office at (603) 862-4000 to see the most exciting family entertainment in New Hampshire.